http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1065-9530
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ABSTRACT
Public participation and engagement is a central element of the Australian planning system at both the metropolitan and local scales. However, despite academic and practitioner debates around the best time for and method of engagement, there is a lack of research which examines the wider public perceptions of the planning system. It is these wider perceptions which set the context for public participation. The particular focus of this paper is on public perceptions about the influence of various interest groups on what is incorporated into metropolitan and local plans. The perceived influenced of four stakeholder groups is examined: individual developers; developer lobby groups; resident opponents; and, residents (general public). The research reveals that a large proportion of the public is critical of the influence of private sector actors and resident opponents, and cynical over the level of influence residents have on planning documents. These perceptions emerge as significant barriers to public engagement, no matter what the method or theoretical foundation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
ORCID
Kristian Ruming http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1065-9530
Notes
1. Research Now (www.researchnow.com)
2. The exact questions analyzed are presented in –. The questions used a 5-point Likert scale to measure the extent to which participants agreed or disagreed with statements about interest group influence (, , and ) or the extent to which corruption was an issue ().
3. Based on 2016 Australian population (23,401,892) the sample provides 95% confidence level, with a confidence interval of 1.54% at the 50 percentile.
6. Also see: http://www.saveourcouncilsnsw.com
